Picture Perfect
by Ariadne Bassarid
Summary: The last person Seto Kaiba expected to find taking pictures of him was Katsuya Jounouchi. [SetoJoey, futurefic, M for safety]
1. Chapter One

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Picture Perfect**_

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Summary: HOT GUY ON GUY ACTION. No, I'm lying. That's just fun to say. Man, I hope you didn't stop reading because I said that. Or maybe you're reading BECAUSE I said that. In which case, it's ALL TRUE. ...But seriously. This is a SetoxJoey future fic in which Joey is a photographer... Just go with it. It's intended to be relatively fast-paced and humorous, though I'll be working some emotional issues and angst in later. You know, if it's actually possible to carry that off in a hodge-podge like this._

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own Yu Gi Oh. If I did, chances are there'd be more guys making out. Oh god, I've turned into a bit of a yaoi-fic fangirl. I miss the days when my weird nerdiness was within the range of socially acceptable weird nerdiness._

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**  
Chapter One.**

Seto Kaiba was well-prepared for most things in life. It just so happened, however, that photo shoots were low on his list of priorities. More specifically, photo shoots for magazines aimed at teenage girls were so low on his list of priorities as to not, in fact, be on it. Oh no - this was no Times. This was no Forbes. This was no Business Man's Quarterly or Economic Enquirer.

This was Happy-Chan Girlfest, and this month's edition was to promise Japan's Top Five Business-Look Bishies.

It was a pain in the ass.

Seto strode down the corridor, flanked by flunkies in business suits and one frantic makeup woman desperately trying to apply the last few dabs of powder to Seto's cheeks.

"Please, Mister Kaiba! Allow me to finish accenting your exquisite bone structure!"

Kaiba grimaced and pushed his way through the double doors to the photo studio. All those within automatically snapped their heads up as he and his entourage paused in the doorway. Kaiba smirked slightly. The key to making an entrance just to happened to be that you entered whenever the hell you felt like it.

"Let's get this over with," he said, his somewhat flat tone only hinting at the extreme combination of boredom and ire he was experiencing. "Where do you want me?"

A small red-headed woman to the side, who just happened to be holding a camera, swooned at words she had never thought to hear _the _Seto Kaiba say.

"Hey!" Someone shouted at her, and dove forward. A moment later there was a thunk as the woman hit the ground. But the camera was safe.

"...Just like old times, eh Kaiba?"

The second thing Seto Kaiba had not been prepared for was to find Katsuya Jounouchi on the set for aforementioned photo shoot. Still, he didn't let that fluster him.

"What are YOU doing here?"

Much.

"...Calm down, Kaiba. I'm the photographer." Jounouchi carefully regarded the camera in his hands - spared the fate of a fast trip to the floor - then protectively placed its strap around his neck. It dangled like an oversized ornament. But at least it didn't clang noisily, like the silver bangles Joey was wearing in the place of a watch.

Kaiba pulled his eyes away from them to raise an eyebrow. "...And her?" He gestured to the fallen damsel, who was being stepped on by various people with clipboards and lightbulbs.

"She was holding my camera while I ate a doughnut."

...He had been wondering why Jounouchi had powdered confectionary sugar smeared around his mouth.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised to find you surrounded by slapstick. Don't tell me you actually possess some kind of jobskill?"

"Hey, I have all kinds of interesting skills." Jou pouted slightly and tossed his head, though the motion did nothing to alter his already-tousled hair. He fiddled with his camera without looking at it. The bracelets jingled, effortlessly annoying.

Kaiba refrained from pursing his lips at the sound. "Whatever. I meant what I said; let's get this over with." He ignored his tag-alongs, who were becoming increasibly agitated by the way their boss was causing them to occupy the doorway. He stared at the blonde.

Jounouchi let go of his lens and glanced between Kaiba and a blue backdrop, hanging across the room in front of some lightstands. "You hold that thought. I need to go find a higher red filter or that isn't going to match the lovely shade of your eyes." Jounouchi wandered off at a leisurely pace. For a certain CEO, it was infuriatingly leisurely.

Kaiba's eye twitched slightly as he took in the rear view of Jou sauntering away in loose jeans and a fitted white shirt with red paint artistically splotched across it. The third thing he hadn't been prepared for this afternoon was Katsuya Jounouchi - as irritating as ever and still a terrible flirt.

And even better looking than he had been in highschool (or was that number four?). Apparently the world of teenage fashion had taught him how to wear baggy pants that still managed to show off his tight...

"Someone get me a coffee!" Kaiba barked abruptly, and stalked into the room expecting the others to follow.

* * *

"Geez, Kaiba, could you relax a little? I mean, do you know that word? Say it after me: reeeeeelaaaaaaaaax."

Kaiba tried out his patent Glare Number 204, guaranteed to send employees and obnoxious old ladies with poodles and pearls running screaming into the night.

"...Great. Now you look even MORE like you have a stick up your ass."

"Uh, Mr Jounouchi, perhaps - " attempted one of Kaiba's business suit clones.

"Then again, I guess teenage girls like those bad boy scowls." The camera clicked. " 'Oh Mister Kaiba, you're so mean but you just need someone to love you and - ' "

"Jounouchi. Take your god damned photos, and let me get the fuck out of here," Kaiba said very slowly, his teeth clenched.

The blonde sighed. He lowered his camera. "I'm not just doing this to get on your nerves. Although that is an added bonus. But in case you haven't noticed, this is my job."

"Then do it!"

"Yeah, it's really easy to make you appeal to teenage girls when you look like you'd happily slit their throats while they slept, rather than be standing here in front of me."

"That's your problem, not mine."

"You're as arrogant as ever!"

"And you, apparently, have wasted your time to become a second-rate photographer for boy-crazed, superficial teenage girls!"

"...Who would like you a lot more if you would cooperate!"

Someone somewhere cleared their throat. The two combatants took a moment to recall they were standing in a room full of crowded people, all breathless with photographic and money-making anticipation. (Or perhaps they were just holding their breath in case two particular people began throwing chairs.)

"Come on, Kaiba, why are you here if you're not going to take this seriously?"

Kaiba crossed his arms and glared at Jounouchi - though it was hard to be sure he was glaring at the right person while he was standing in front of those bright lights. But he was PROBABLY glaring at his highschool rival. Who was right. Kaiba wouldn't say it out loud, of course. But he'd been acting like a baby. His scowl deepened.

His PR department was forcing him to do this shoot in a desperate attempt to lure an unsuspecting chunk of the female population into the realm of gaming. It wasn't going to work very well if no one liked him.

The problem was, he didn't want people to like him. Not the majority, anyway. He just wanted them to do what he said. People, as it is commonly known, are stupid. Kaiba, as it is canonically known by fangirls, is not. Therefore the twain should not, in the ideal situation, ever meet.

Of course, he had Jounouchi standing in front of him. The situation was anything but ideal to begin with.

"You ARE the one who wanted to get this over with."

"Fine." Kaiba snapped.

"Great." Jounouchi smiled happily and loaded another round of film into his camera. "Now... Make love to the camera, baby... Oh, fine," Jou added. "I want you to stand with your arms crossed and look at the lens. ...Great. Now look at little less frightening. Even better. Tilt your head sideways slightly..."

* * *

"Okay, that should be the last shot we need, Kaiba."

"About fucking time," Kaiba muttered, and tossed his jacket - more expensively-tailored than any Happy-Chan Girlfest's wardrobe could provide - at one of his subordinates. He wouldn't be wearing it again for a while. Not until he could get the dirty feel of posing with it slung over his shoulder out of his mind.

"...Is it THAT time already?"

Kaiba ignored Jounouchi's suggestive tone, choosing to head for the door.

"Yeah, you take care too! Glad we could catch up like this!"

Kaiba stopped on the way out. He glanced back. "I hope you know you have sugar on face." He left, followed by his amorphous mob of employees.

* * *

When a person from one's past reappears in an unexpected place, it is often an event that sticks in one's mind. Thus, much to Kaiba's chagrin, although he did his best to avoid the latest issue of Happy-Chan, over the next couple of weeks he found his mind wandering to Katsuya Jounouchi in the some of the more boring moments of meetings.

Of all places to find the insolent yap. If anyone had asked Kaiba - which, rest assured, they hadn't - what future he'd have predicted for that loudmouth, it would have been something along the lines of scamming even worse duelists than he out of their money in backwater dives. Having not been asked, after highschool Kaiba had instead pushed his teenage rival - if that was the term for it - to the back of his mind.

Especially repressing that incident in their last year. Jounouchi had always pushed his very high-tech buttons, but never so much as when he was also pushing the shutter reflex of a camera.

Maybe the career choice wasn't so surprising afterall. Damn him.

And then three weeks later Jounouchi was crouching in front of a black, foam-lined case of equipment when he heard a commotion from across the studio room of the Economic Enquirer. A few minutes after that, a pair of black boots stopped next to him. He didn't look up; he'd been expecting them.

"Don't tell me: Happy-Chan Girlfest fired you."

"Nope," Jou replied, nonplussed. He squinted into a long black lens, then pulled out a cloth to wipe it with from out of his back pocket. Jeans again. Another shirt. The same bracelets, which jingled as Jounouchi swished the cloth back and forth over the small piece of convex glass.

Kaiba glared down at him, though the effect was somewhat wasted as Jounouchi didn't bother to meet his gaze.

"Actually," he said when Kaiba failed to stalk off, "These guys found out I was the one who took those photos of you and offered me a nice fat wad of cash to shoot for this interview."

"Great; a freelance mutt. I should have known better than to think you could hold down a steady job."

That got a reaction - a trace of anger lurked in Jounouchi's honey-coloured eyes as he stood with his camera and the lens he had selected. "I'm freelance because I'm GOOD, Kaiba. Apparently I'm the only person in town that has managed to get halfway decent shot of YOU."

"I just thought I should know why I seem to find myself taking orders from a dog, instead of the other way around." He turned on his heel and began to walk away.

"Yeah," Jounouchi called after him, "Or maybe you just like talking to someone who isn't a complete sycophant!"

Slowly, Kaiba turned back around. "By the way, I happened to think the photographs you shot of me were awful. I expect to approve the next lot before they go to publishing."

So he hadn't even looked at the photographs; the better to annoy Jou with, my dear.

"Great," Jou replied sarcastically, "I'll just bring them by the mansion, shall I?"

"That will be fine," Kaiba replied coolly, before going to have some words with his PR team. Three steps later his stride faltered almost imperceptibly. Wait - what had he just agreed to? Someone else could probably fix it. Damn him.

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_So... What did you think? Please let me know if you liked it; chances are I won't expend much effort continuing if you don't. Oh yeah, and thanks to _kurayami ryou-sama _for her first efforts as beta._


	2. Chapter Two

_**Picture Perfect**_

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_Oh. My. Lawd. Just... Wow. The response to the previous chapter was unprecedented, by far. My last couple of fics have been sort of odd and neglected, so to get TWENTY NINE REVIEWS for the first chapter of this totally blew my mind. I'm overwhelmed. Thank you all so much. Enjoy the new chapter._

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**Chapter Two.**

The dream had been not at all interesting, which is what made it a problem. It wasn't a nightmare. It wasn't erotic. It was just himself, standing in front of a screen, and actually doing what Jounouchi told him to.

_"No, you need to lean forward slightly. Part your mouth a little. No, I said a little! Great, now look at me as if you actually give a damn."_

_"Give a damn about what, pray tell?"_

_"Anything. Just pretend you have feelings, Kaiba - I know it won't be easy but I'm sure you can do it."_

You can see why this dream would trouble Seto Kaiba. There he is, minding his own business sleeping (and for Seto Kaiba, you'd better believe that sleep is business), when **BAM**. Katsuya Jounouchi. That this person would make an impact on his subconscious in any way, shape or form was deeply disturbing to Kaiba. If the dream had been a shade more horrifying or a shade more... Well, let's say 'NOT-horrifying' Kaiba could have written it off as the ridiculous imaginings of an overworked mind.

But a perfectly uninteresting, plausible dream like this seemed to be his brain's way of reminding him that Jounouchi was, well... There.

Faced with Jounouchi standing THERE at his door three days later, Kaiba was decidedly uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief (and those internet rumours that he was really a vampire), Kaiba DID have feelings. And he was not happy about them.

"What happened to the mansion?" Jounouchi said, grinning.

Kaiba visibly suppressed a sigh. "I actually prefer to stay in this apartment most of the time." His voice was flat.

"Does Mokuba stay here?"

"Sometimes." Non-committal.

"You know actually we're having polite conversation, right?" Jounouchi ran a hand through his hair, still grinning. The silver bracelets were still there, still jingling.

"Let's not make a habit of it."

Kaiba turned and walked back into his expensive, seventeenth-floor penthouse, expecting Jounouchi to close the door behind him. He did. Kaiba led them both into the dining room.

"Nice place."

"Just show me the photographs."

"Oh, excuse me; whatever you say. I'll just spread them out on this table."

Jou slapped down a manila folder and began to sort through it, sliding glossy black and whites of Kaiba across the glass surface. He lingered over one or two for a moment, a funny expression crossing his face. When he was done not two minutes later, Kaiba gave them a cursory glance.

"They're fine," he said curtly.

"'They're fine'?"

"Yes."

Jounouchi shook his head in disbelief. "That's it? You dragged me all the way up town for 'They're fine'?"

"Yes."

He glanced between Kaiba and the photographs. "You're sure there's nothing else?"

Kaiba bit the inside of his cheek. Do not think about the dream. Do not think about the dream.

Jounouchi stepped up beside him again and began to gather up the many photographs. He leaned in front of Kaiba, close enough for the CEO to realise that Jounouchi smelled like vanilla. Kaiba bit down harder.

"That's it; now get out."

Jounouchi laughed. It had an ironic ring to it. "You really are a bastard, you know that? I would have thought in four years you might have changed a LITTLE."

"You don't seem to have - why should I?"

Jounouchi's honey-gold eyes glanced sideways at him. "No," he said eventually. "Some things aren't that easy to change, are they?"

The gaze Kaiba returned was that of a statue.

The front door slammed.

"Set-to!" There was a thud, and footsteps hurried across the apartment. "You'll never guess what happened in school this afternoon, the librarian - "

Mokuba Kaiba stopped in the doorway to the dining room. "Jou!" he shouted. "Where the hell did you come from?"

Jounouchi smiled a genuine smile. "Hey short stuff - whoa, you're not so short any more, hey?"

Mokuba gave a mock glare, a paler version of his older brother's most frequent (not to mention current) expression. "Well, I haven't seen you in, like, five years! People can get a lot taller in that time. What are you doing here?"

Mokuba glanced between his older brother and their visitor.

"Ah, well, I took some photos of your bro for Economic Enquirer and my boss overheard Kaiba remark he wanted to approve them... And he started insisting I bring them over personally..."

Kaiba's scowl deepened. "He was just leaving."

"What? No way! You have to at least stay for dinner, Jou. How long have you been in town? Are you staying?" Mokuba started to back out of the room as he flung out questions to quick to be answered. "Have you seen Yugi and the others? I'll go phone and order in some food!" He disappeared from sight.

"...Well, I guess that's one way to stop a person from protesting."

"Funny, no matter what I did you always just tagged along after me, babbling your pathetic insults." Kaiba said dryly.

Jounouchi tapped the last of his photographs into the folder. "Oh, well." He flashed Kaiba another grin, the serious mood now gone. "You have a nice ass to tag along after. I was just following the scenery! Say, how big is this apartment? Where's the restroom? No, don't worry, I can find it myself!"

Mokuba's method WAS effective. Kaiba stood alone in the dining room and raised a hand to his forehead. He could feel a headache coming on.

* * *

"Hey." Jounouchi rolled his head along where it was resting on the back of the couch, turning it toward the person sitting not next to him. "Hey. Hey!"

"Jesus, what?" Kaiba snapped.

"Where the hell'd Mokuba go?"

"He left twenty minutes ago, you idiot. 's a school night."

"Oh."

"You need a seeing eye dog."

"Dogs can't lead dogs. That's like the blind leading the blind."

Kaiba grunted in response.

"Fine, pass me some more of that wine."

"No, you've had your catch-up session with my brother. Allow me to say once 'gain: get the hell out of my penthouse."

Jounouchi sighed, exasperated. The evening had been going fairly well. He'd been chatting with Mokuba, Kaiba had been sitting in stoic silence - much like an attractively-carved chunk of stone. Then Mokie had dragged them both in to the living room to watch a movie on the largest tv screen Jou had ever seen in a studio apartment. Kaiba had tried to steal away but Mokuba had grabbed a hold of him and hissed something in his ear. Jounouchi pretended not to notice.

"I can't go anywhere, you asshole. Thanks to your brother, I can't drive home."

"What?"

"I'M DRUNK." Jounouchi said loudly and clearly.

"SHUT UP," Kaiba responded. "YOU'LL WAKE MY BROTHER, MUTT!"

"Anyway, looks like I'm crashing here for the night."

Kaiba muttered something that sounded vaguely obscene, and very threatening. Jou wasn't sure what it was, but nonetheless responded with, "In your dreams!"

Kaiba fell silent. Not really unusual, unless you were alert enough to notice the faintest hint of colour flare across his cheeks. And Jounouchi was not alert enough.

"I can't believe your brother plied us with booze. He got us debibblerately drunk!"

Still no response.

"Anyway, gimme the bottle." Jou sat up and reached for it. Kaiba slapped his hand back.

"Geez, the damage is done now, what's a little more gonna hurt?" Jounouchi leaned forward, attempting to wrestle the expensive vintage off the tall brunette.

Kaiba slapped his hand away again and leaned further back. Jou's bracelets chimed once more. After a few moments grappling, Kaiba seized his assailant's hand.

Jounouchi blinked.

"Take those god damn things off!"

Jounouchi recoiled, attempting to get his hand back. "No!"

"They're the most annoying thing I've ever heard - other than your obnoxious voice!"

Jounouchi whacked Kaiba in the side of the head, and quickly found himself pulled in closer, his other arm now restrained. This meant, of course, the wine bottle was sitting in his own lap. Jounouchi stared down at it. So close... And yet...

"Why the hell are you wearing woman's jewellery, anyway?"

"Why, does it offend your masculinity?" Jounouchi barked in response. "I see you're wearing a ring."

Kaiba looked down at his left hand, which was holding Jounouchi's right wrist and locking the two of them close together. Abruptly, he let the mutt go.

"If you're going to wear a silver ring, I think I can - "

"SHUT UP!" Kaiba shouted. "I don't care. I don't know why I asked - I sure as hell don't care. I blame the alcohol. Mokuba is grounded."

"Yeah, good thing you sent him to his room, huh?"

Kaiba nodded, aware even in his slightly tingly, alcohol-induced state that the statement was wrong - but glad to change the topic.

"How'd you still end up with the wine bottle?"

Kaiba's blue eyes stared into his for a moment and then slowly and defiantly took a swig out the bottle, himself. "I'm better than you."

"At what?"

"Everything." Kaiba took a swig from the bottle, defiantly.

"You wish," Jounouchi lunged for the bottle again, and Kaiba leaned backwards away from him. Unfortunately for Kaiba, he leaned a little too far back.

He suddenly found himself lying underneath Jounouchi. Kaiba's neck was bent uncomfortably against the neck of the sofa, but Jounouchi's weight on top of him was much more of an, er... Pressing matter. As were the honey-gold eyes only inches from his face.

Jou had intended to mutter something - a simple, "Uh, Kaiba?" But the two were so close that when he uttered the 'ba', his lips softly brushed against the CEO's. The wine bottle slipped out of Kaiba's hand, hitting the floor with a mild thud. And neither of the two paid any attention as, with a soft glugging sound, its contents spilled out onto Kaiba's cream carpet.

And THAT was how Seto Kaiba awoke the next morning with the headache he had predicted so many hours before, as well as a crick in his neck.

He also awoke with Katsuya Jounouchi.

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_Updated ninth March 2005. _


	3. Chapter Three

**_Picture Perfect. _**

_Hey guys... Just a couple of things. Normally I try to do reader responses, but I've never been fortunate enough to have so many readers before and I'm currently a bit pressed for time. Just the same, rest assured that I appreciate your reviews very much. There was one question from Downtrodded about age... Five years since highschool have passed, which puts Kaiba and Joey at about twenty three and Mokuba at about seventeen, or that's what I intended anyway. _

Three more things... Yes, it's short; sorry, but that was about all there was to say. And yes, I purposefully changed the tense for this chapter; it will be reverting. Lastly, sorry to anyone who might be a bit bothered by the language - consider yourselves warned, okay? - but to me it's in character.

_Disclaimer. Well, you know it._

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**Chapter Three.**

Seto Kaiba wakes up. His brain feels like it's swollen inside his  
head and is trying to get out of his skull. Maybe there are little  
Setos inside who are trying to break free so they can wreak all  
sorts of havoc - like smashing priceless crystal Blue Eyes  
statuettes and unleashing computer viruses through the security  
system and eating all his Pocky.

Or, maybe he's just hungover. Maybe the person groaning next to him  
is hungover, too.

Seto Kaiba is suddenly leaping out of bed, despite his aching head.

"What the fuck?"

The lump tangled up in his expensive black silk sheets grumbles  
again, and mutters. It sounds like something to the effect of,  
"Good morning to you too, sunshine."

Sunshine? "Get out of my bed!"

"Kaiba, it's too early."

"GET OUT OF MY BED!"

Jounouchi raises his head, but doesn't look at Kaiba. He's staring  
sleepily down at his pillow - his blonde hair is sticking up on  
one side and smushed against his face on the other. If Kaiba was  
actually seeing anything but red, he probably would think it was  
cute. But red is the colour of both anger and of embarrassment,  
which is a terrible combination of emotions.

"Geez, alright, keep your pants on." Jou glances up. "Or maybe you  
should put some pants on, so you can keep them on."

Kaiba experiences a dreadful moment of realisation. Ever so slowly  
he looks down. And then ever so quickly, he seizes his pillow and  
holds it across his mid-section.

"GET OUT!"

Jounouchi, fortunately, IS wearing pants when he struggles his way  
out of the messy bed. "You know, I always thought you had a bigger  
vocabulary. Or maybe you're really a robot, and you're  
experiencing a programming error with your speech."

Kaiba grinds his teeth. The crunching is audible to Jou from across  
the room.

"Actually, you being a MACHINE would make a lot of sense." Jou  
raises an eyebrow in a cocky fashion.

A Blue Eyes White Dragon suddenly crashes into the wall next to his head.  
The little Kaibas have escaped.

Jounouchi grabs his from where it's dangling on the lampshade, and starts to back  
towards the door. "Come on, Seto, that was a compliment."

"GET THE FUCK OUT!"

Kaiba realises he is acting like a jilted, highly-strung female  
lover who has just walked in on her boyfriend (in the words of that  
glorious musician Shaggy) banging on the bathroom floor. However,  
at this point in time he is too far gone to actually do anything  
about it except yell and wince at his own throbbing temples.

An expression of dismay touches Jounouchi's features. "Sure thing."  
He turns and walks out of the room.

Kaiba finds himself following across the apartment without realising  
it. "This is by far the dumbest thing you've ever done."

Slowly Jounouchi stops and turns around. He happens by now to be standing  
on a giant red stain on Kaiba's living room floor. And he looks  
very, very, angry. The hand clutching his shirt trembles slightly.

"This is my fault, is it?"

"You're the one who had to bring your stupid photographs over."

"And may I remind you whose fault THAT was?"

Kaiba stares defiantly at his opponent. He is aware of all the  
pigheaded things he's done this is possibly by far the most  
disastrous (and that included the time he bet his jaguar against  
Yami in a game of knucklebones). Which is good, the  
logical-but-quite-stupid voice in his head says, because that means  
he'll never, ever have to repeat any of it. Great. Wonderful.

Why would he want to?

"You know what, Kaiba, it takes two to tango, and it sure as hell  
takes two to fuck."

A moment later the front door to Kaiba's penthouse slams. Kaiba is  
still standing in the living room, almost dizzy from the pain in  
head where some demon has sprung out, much like a fully-formed  
Athena from the head of Zeus, brandishing a spear - but much, much  
more pissed, and much, much more stupid than any goddess of wisdom.  
He is almost on fire from embarrassment, and staring at his ruined  
carpet. All very good reasons why he doesn't drink.

He walks back into his bedroom, a little dazed, and sits down on the  
bed intending to put his aching head in his hands. He doesn't quite  
get that far because when he sits on the bed, things shift  
slightly with his weight. A small jingling sound is heard.

Jounouchi's silver bracelets are just to his right, glinting against the sheets.

"Shit."

It's about now Kaiba realises that for only the third time in his life, he must be very, very late for work.

"...And fuck."


	4. Chapter Four: Flashback

**Picture Perfect**

**  
Chapter Four: Flashback**

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Jounouchi was concentrating on the slowly emerging picture in front of him, so it was a surprise when he heard someone speak.

"Wow. These are really good, Jou."

He didn't jump. Not at all. Why would he be jumpy, working all alone in the dull red glow of the darkroom after school? Certainly not because he'd watched this really killer horror movie last night instead of doing his English homework and there was this scene where the girl alone in the highschool gets chased and man does that blood make a pretty splash on the - Jounouchi shook his head.

"Geez, Yuug - I prefer it when you're wearing boots. At least they make more noise than your sneakers."

Yuugi laughed lightly. "Seriously, these are excellent!"

Jou lifted his newly-formed picture out of the acrid, vinegar-smelling developer with some metal tongs, and placed it into the adjacent tray of chemicals. He glanced at the clock to note the time.

"Yeah, 'cause you're such a photography expert, Yugi."

Yugi didn't take the brush-off personally. "...Okay, so what did Mr Kitano say about them?"

Out of the stop chemical, Jou carefully let the remaining drips fall off the photographic paper, before transferring it to the third tray of chemical fixer. Eventually he sighed, feeling somewhat defeated.

"He said he's going to write me a recommendation for arts school."

"That's fantastic!"

Jounouchi shrugged non-commitally, looking on as Yugi continued to inspect the photographs he'd hung across the line to dry.

"He also said he wants them to go in the yearbook."

Yugi frowned. "...These ones?"

"Yep."

"These exact photographs here."

"Yep."

"...Oh."

Obviously they were good. Even in the bland colours of the darkroom, they were really good. The colour contrast was sharp, the lines were clear, the composition was good, shadowing excellent.

It was the subject matter that was the problem.

"I mean, you can put it in the ones of us, right?"

"I guess so."

Jou's eyes followed the developing narrative across the fishing line - in the first fewYugi and Honda and Anzu were in the schoolyard, laughing, eating lunch, playing around. Jou was silent for a few more moments.

"It kind of screws up the whole thing, though. You know - the meaning."

Yugi scuffed the two of his sneaker against the shadowy linoleum floor. It was unlike Jounouchi to admit that he'd ever think about 'the meaning' of anything that much. Maybe about how to get his biology teacher to let him study the effects of chocolate on adolescents (ie, himself), or how to convince Honda that Shizuka was actually already engaged to someone whose hair didn't look like boyscouts were camping under it.

But not about ART.

"...Still, the recommendation is good; I heard it was hard to get into that kind of school without one." Yugi was always one to focus on the silver lining, and miss the hulking purple storm cloud.

The sound of gushing water filled the otherwise empty darkroom as Jou slid his photo into the sink to let the chemicals rinse off.

"I'm not sure I'll go."

"What? But Jou - "

"Come on, Yuug, art school is a little... You know I always figured I'd just get a job somewhere after school."

"I know, but - "

"And I have stuff here. Like Shizuka, and you and the guys. I don't want to leave Domino. Plus, my favourite pizza place is just one block from my apartment." Jou cracked a smile.

Yugi smiled back automatically. "I know... Leaving Domino for university is going to be hard for everyone, Jou."

Jounouchi switched off the tap and stared at the photo he pinned last on the line.

Yugi spoke from behind him, again. "...He might put them in?"

Jounouchi laughed. "Come on, Yuug, you know the yearbook was Kaiba's one mandatory extracurricular. He runs that thing with an iron... Duelling glove."

A line of Kaibas stared back at him from the photographs on the line.

"Come on, it's nearly dinner time - let's get outta here, hey?"

"Okay..." Yuugi picked his bag up off the floor as Jounouchi haphazardly scooped his camera, film and other miscellaneous items into his own backpack.

Jou paused in the doorway, wincing at the bright light of the outside world. For a moment, Yugi hesitated as they exited. "Hey, Jou?"

"...Yeah?"

"Just... Well... " Yugi sighed. "When you say you have 'stuff here' - if that stuff is - you know, if it - "

Jounouchi shook his head. "Spit it out, or I'll collapse away from hunger!"

Yugi rolled his eyes. Jou's stomach had been fine until he'd stopped concentrating on his photographs. "Well, if that 'stuff' is... One person in particular... You shouldn't let it hold you back."

Jounouchi blinked. "Of course it's not one person. Why would it be one person?"

Certainly not because he'd had spent the past two hours printing half a dozen somewhat stalker-esque photographs of that someone eating lunch.

* * *

"Kaiba, I understand your reluctance to put these forward - "

"There is no way in hell these are going in MY yearbook!" Kaiba glared up from his desk, refusing to stand to discuss the matter with the teacher.

" - MAY I remind you that 'your' yearbook is in fact subject to approval by the faculty?"

"Not by the photography department, Mizuki." Kaiba continued to stare at his monitor, proof-reading something.

"That's Mister Mizuki, and I realise that I can't force you to include this sequence, but I wish you would at least consider it." The arts teacher leaned forward over the desk.

"I already gave it a good half a second's thought, which is probably the only kind of thought Jounouchi has. He won't be crushed when they aren't there."

"Have it your way, though you underestimate him." Mr Mizuki made to retreat, rubbing his temples in exasperation. He hesistated. "Though if nothing else will persuade you, please recall that the only other options for the art spread are Mizuho's pictures of stuffed animals, and Sayaka's tasteful nude spread of... Himself." Mizuki pulled a face. "If the art pages are somewhat lacking, it'll be YOUR bad editorial decision."

Kaiba finally spared a glance for the teacher - or his retreating back, anyway. He knew the photographs were his best option. So sue him if he didn't want a beautiful selection of photos in there that began with the happy, laughing shots of the midget and his friends, and concluded with one lone Seto Kaiba eating in front of his laptop. He looked... Lonely. Pathetic.

Two words that no one should ever use to describe Seto Kaiba.

He also looked beautiful, but he heard that all the time from girls in the hall, murmured in shock before they swooned, got nosebleeds and passed out at his feet. In fact the only reason he didn't have a cheerleading section six times the size of that moron Otogi's was because he had a lot of lawyers, and a lot of restraining orders.

Lonely. Pah. It was impossible to be lonely when surrounded by lawyers, right?

* * *

Graduation came and went as it does for everyone. Somewhere aftering the coming, but before the going, the yearbook was released.

Specifically, somewhere after Kaiba's speech as valedictorian ("For most of us, highschool was a waste of time; I know it was for me. Enjoy wasting the next few years at university. And when your philosophy degree turns out to be useless, please don't phone me. I will not give you a job."). Even more specifically, it was also before Kaiba disappeared into his limousine, off into the distance, and out of the lives of most of the female members of the senior class, who later cried over his photo in the yearbook. (Gasp... "...Beautiful..." Sob...)

After the first page, but before the last - actually it was the large art spread somewhere close to the middle - was a sequence of photographs. There were the smiling faces of Yugi , Anzu and Honda. With great subtlety the focus shifted from their happy antics to the background figure of Seto Kaiba, isolated across the courtyard yet framed by other milling students... All of whom he was ignoring as the bright sunshine hit his face in just the right way to create shadows down one side. His lips were pursed and full as he stared at his laptop... Concentrating without passion, or frowning emotively? In one shot he was sipping a coke - eyes still on the screen.

In a few clicks of the shutter Jounouchi had managed to capture a few moments of isolation of terrible intimacy.

* * *

Thank you allso much again for your reviews. Reviews make me want to update; I'm sorry I don't currently have time to respond to all of them... I think I lost some of the humour in this (flashback) chapter. Not to mention there's no nookie. But! It'll be back very soon. The humour. Not the nookie - well, okay, probably some nookie, too. (And that's my official quota for the use of the word 'nookie' in one day.) Not _too _soon though, because... I'm off to Egypt on holiday! Like... In two days! I'm also going to Sydney, and I won't be home until the 2nd of May... So, sorry to deprive you of frequent updates but until then au revoir, my very beloved readers...

Excuse any typos, or if you don't think this chapter held up well... I've been very pressed for time.

Oh yeah, also, for anyone who is interested in jrock, mildly humurous article on my website: www. geocities. com / jojo(underscore)shady2 / jap. html over my recent troubling addiction to that, anime and fanfic. (Content may, and probably will offend, but hopefully in an endearing way.)

Peace out. Haha. Did I just say that?

Updated: April 05 2005.


	5. Chapter Five

_**Picture Perfect**_

* * *

_Honey, I'm ho-ome! Ha. Yes. Finally updated. Aren't you pleased? My theory about Kaiba and Joey is this: they're totally dysfunctional. That's about it, hence this chapter. More mushiness to come. ...I think..._

* * *

**Chapter Five.**

**

* * *

**

"Katsuya! You and Seto Kaiba, eh?"

Jounouchi promptly sprayed coffee all over his agent.

She grimaced and pushed a button on her desk, shouting, "Tissue!" to her secretary.

Meanwhile, her favourite photographer was staring at her with a strange expression on his face - somewhat like a Red Eyes Black Dragon had just sprouted out the top of her head.

And then propositioned him.

"...What did you just say?" he asked, in a strangled voice.

Her secretary, a plain but friendly girl whose name Jou could never remember - Marsha? Maria? Mary? Something like that - rushed in with a box of tissues for her boss.

"Thanks, Margo," Anna said, and cleaned herself off, carefully. The secretary rushed back out again. Probably on her way to... File... Something... "Are you happy now, Katsuya? I'm going to have to go home and change at lunchtime."

"...What?"

Anna sighed. "Oh, Jou. I swear, sometimes it's like you're tuned into an entirely different station. I said: You and Kaiba, huh?"

Jounouchi, meanwhile, was wondering if this was what it was like to have a stroke. His limbs felt tingly. His mouth was gaping wildly, not quite making the right connection to his brain. As Anna tried to straighten up her clothes, he took a completely automated sip from his styrofoam coffee cup - then a moment later leapt out of his chair shouting, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Anna grimaced as she avoided a second spray of coffee. "A bit late to play coy, Jounouchi." The attractive blonde, in her mid-thirties, looked rather... vexed at his reaction. "And too early in the day to attempt to bullshit me, you'll have to get up earlier than - " she hit a remote and a cabinet across the room opened, a television switching on - "THAT for that one."

No, that hadn't been a stroke. This was. Jou fell back into his chair as he watched himself, on the E! channel, rushing out of Kaiba's apartment building.

Without his shirt on.

"Oh, hello little pixies," Jou murmured, staring at the space above his head.

"Snap out of it, you idiot!" Anna hit him across the back of his head with a stack of papers. "Look at the press we're getting!"

Jounouchi tried to focus. The large wad that had appeared Anna's hand appeared to be a mountain of requests from the media. His head began to throb harder.

"This is wonderful! Do you know how hard it is for a photographer to get his name known? And even then generally only your weird artsy members of the tofu-dessert-and-smudged-eyeliner club actually KNOW who you are. We're talking Instant. Fame." Anna sat back in her chair, a pleasant smile on her face.

"THIS IS NOT WONDERFUL!" Jou shouted, suddenly.

Anna blinked. "Of course it is."

"No, it is not!" Some coffee sloshed out of the tiny hole in the lid of his cup. He set it down on her desk. "Every person I know is gonna see that! It might give YOU some kind of media-induced orgasm, but I can think of a few people who are NOT gonna be so impressed!"

Anna scowled, "Now hold on a minute, here..."

Jou's cellphone suddenly started vibrating in the pocket of his leather jacket. He jumped. Then pulled it out, and looked at it suspiciously.

Anna leaned forward across the desk. "Ooh, if it's a tabloid, you'd better - "

"It's not a tabloid!" he snapped. He stood up again and flicked open the phone. "Whaddya want, Ma?"

Anna blinked.

"NO I CANNOT GET YOU A DATE WITH SETO!" He snapped his phone shut again, cursing. "Figures the first time I hear from her in a year is because - " Unfortunately, he didn't even have time to start his long, intended string of expletives before the once-innocuous silver cell rang again.

"Okay, if THAT'S a reporter - "

"IT'S NOT!" Jou yelled, and stamped his foot petulantly.

Anna just huffed and sat back.

"...Hello?"

"Is this Katsuya Jounouchi?"

"It's my phone, isn't it?"

"Er... Yes."

"So..."

"So it IS definitely you, Mr Jounouchi?"

"Yes it's bloody well me!" Jou turned his back on Anna, who was looking at him quizzically.

"Right. Sorry, I was told to be certain."

"And I'm speaking to...?" He tapped his foot impatiently.

"...Right. This is Mr Tanaka, Seto Kaiba's personal secretary."

For a moment, Jounouchi could have sworn he saw a pixie wink at him from over in the corner. Hangover plus insanity equals bad. Very bad. "...Ah ...Yes?"

"Mr Kaiba would like me to arrange to return your belongings to you."

"What?" It was NOT a good morning.

"He said you... left some personal affects at your... meeting." Tanaka sounded decidedly uncomfortable.

"Oh, so I forgot something other than to put on my shirt when I left?"

The man at the other end of the phone choked. "He - mentioned - a bracelet?"

Joey stared down at his left wrist. "Oh, fucker!"

"Excuse me!"

Ha. Now who's having a stroke? "Not you. Not him, either."

"Mr Jounouchi, can I please arrange..."

"No, you damn well cannot arrange! Nothing personal, Tanaka, but tell Kaiba if he wants to contact me he can do it him-fucking-self!"

Jou snapped his phone shut for the second time. The worst part of which was that he was sure he'd need to do it again many times before the end of the day.

"You said Kaiba!" Anna shrieked. "It's true!"

Jounouchi threw himself across the desk and clamped a hand over her mouth. "You. Are too loud. Understand?"

Anna nodded, rolling her eyes.

"When I take my hand away, I am going to leave this office. And you are not going to say anything else, capiche?"

Jou removed his hand.

"But Katsuya, the publicit- "

He dove back across the desk. "NO! I don't want to hear it! I don't want anyone else to hear it FROM you! Press conferences are not my problem! We can leave that entirely to rich and important CEOs!"

Margo wondered why, a few seconds later, the cute photographer who was sleeping with Seto Kaiba went running past her shouting, "Tell Anna I'll take that shoot next week if it's still open!" She sighed and pushed up her glasses, before she made a note of it. Honestly, wasn't that what this morning's meeting had been to discuss, anyway?

* * *

"Nii-sama? I was in a calculus class!" Mokuba paced up and down in front of a set of lockers in the halls of Domino High. 

"You can thank me later," his brother replied dryly through the earpiece of Mokuba's cellphone, knowing the younger Kaiba ordinarily avoided his math like plague - or like his girlfriend Rebecca when she wanted him to go to a musical.

"Nothing's wrong then?"

"Oh, you know, just our reputations, and my LIFE."

Mokuba laughed. "Quit being melodramatic. Isn't it bad enough that every girl in school is in tears?"

"Watch out; they'll be latching onto you next."

"Yeah, that'll be terrible." Mokuba's eyes took on a glassy appearance.

"...Mokuba?"

_Meanwhile, inside Mokuba's perverted teenage boy head:_

_A buxom brunnette batted her eyelashes at Mokuba in the queue at the cafeteria. "Oh, please let me carry that for you, Mr Kaiba."_

_"Well, I..." Mokuba protested chivalrously, as she swooped down to claim his tray. _

_"Please, call me Honey."_

_There was a tap on his shoulder. "Oh, Mr Mokuba! My name is Candy," a voluptuous blonde replied, "And I think you deserve an extra serving of dessert. Here, won't you take my chocolate mousse?"_

_A raven-haired beauty, who declared her name was Hanako, joined them on the way to an empty lunchtable, and then - Smack! A container of mousse hit Candy in the face. She gasped. "Hanako, how could you? That mousse was meant for Mokuba!" Candy seized Hanako's mousse and hurled it at her - but Hanako ducked and it hit Honey in the forehead. _

_"Girls, girls... Let's not fight. There's plenty of Mokuba to go around!" Mokuba leaned over and licked some mousse off Candy's cheek. The well-developed brunette next to her leaned forward and swiped their lunch trays off the table. _

_"Oh, Mokuba! Make love to us here and now!"_

"MOKUBA KAIBA!"

"What!" Mokuba shouted, and looked around the desserted - um, deserted - hallway. "Oh. You're still there?" he said to his phone.

"Yes, I'm still here! You know, I have a full schedule Mokuba, and I called you for help but if you're just going to - "

"Help with what?" Mokuba leaned against a set of lockers.

There was an awkward silence on the telephone.

"...I need to get rid of Jounouchi's jewellery and he's insisting I call him, personally."

"So? Call."

"Mokuba, you know - "

"What, you've forgotten how to use your telephone? Don't panic, Nii-sama, but... You're using it now! Wow! Problem solved!"

"When did you become such a smartass?" his brother's voice muttered. "Look, I don't want to see him again."

"Seto, I can't believe you called me out of class for this. You must be in love. I'm going back to my maths, and I don't want to hear about this again until I get home." Mokuba stuck his tongue out to his telephone, and pressed the big red disconnect button on his keypad.

He strolled back into his class, which was by now freely working on the exercises the teacher had set.

"Mokuba! Will you eat lunch with us today, we need your help for the drama committee?"

"Of course I will, Hanako!"

* * *

"Meet me for dinner." 

"Get bent."

"Seven o clock, and you'd better be there, Jounouchi. I don't take it well when people break appointments."

Jounouchi sighed and rested his head on his steering wheel. He looked around the parking garage of the GQ building warily, the location of his afternoon shoot. Reporters could be lurking... Anywhere...

"Why?"

"If you want your crap back, this is when you're going to get it."

"You could've put it in the post."

There was a silence.

"You could've pushed it under your bed and forgotten about it."

"Dinner, seven o clock, L'escalier."

"Gee Seto, a romantic dinner together? Won't that create a BUZZ?" Jou said sarcastically.

"I think the damage has been done already, don't you?"

"Ha." That was one way of putting it. "Fine, I'll be there."

Jounouchi's phone went dead. He resisted the urge to throw it out the window, drive over it, reverse over it, and then drive back over it again. And he didn't have time to change for dinner, either.

* * *

"This is a four star restaurant."

"Oh, I'm not good enough for five?"

"Why is there a coffee stain on your shirt? Or is that supposed to be some kind... Of fashion statement?"

Kaiba's eyes stared coldy at Jou from where he sat, a corner table in the dimly-lit, expensive restaurant. Jounouchi sighed in response and grabbed a chair, spinning it around to straddle it at the table.

"Spoken by the guy who owned a flared, white leather trenchcoat."

"Don't you have ANY manners?"

"Well, Seto _dearest_, my shirt is stained because of Kaiba Club Fan-Member one-oh-four-two-eight-six-three, who was standing in front of me in the line at Starbucks this afternoon."

Kaiba's face remained impassive.

"The sauce stain is from before that, when member three-five-two-nine-eight-oh-one was queueing behind me to get a hotdog at lunch," Jounouchi supplied helpfully.

Kaiba's eyebrow twitched. Jou merely picked up the menu and started to browse it carelessly.

"When did you start calling me by my first name, anyway?" A classic glare.

"I don't know; around about when you were throwing stuff and yelling at me to get out of your apartment?"

"Oh. Yes."

Jounouchi sighed audibly.

"What?" Kaiba snapped.

Jounouchi opened his mouth to respond, but the waitress arrived to ask if they'd like any beverages before their meal. Unfortunately, she got as far as, "Good evening gentlemen, may I get you..." before her eyes widened to roughly the size of Yugi's and she continued, "...'re Seto Kaiba and you're..." at which point, she burst into tears and fled the table.

Jounouchi laughed. Seto, before his Stare The Bastards Down mechanism had time to kick in, tried to hide his face with a menu in a most undignified fashion. The other patrons stared.

"Can I have my bracelets back please?" Joey asked politely.

For a moment, Seto's face seemed to wriggle out of the cool exterior he usually displayed. He reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a small package, wrapped in tissue paper. Then he dropped it on the table. It tinkled slightly.

Jounouchi picked it up, and his chair made a scraping sound across the floor as he stood. "I guess that's it then, Kaiba. Nice knowin' ya. Unless," Jou cracked a grin, "You wanna go make out in the limo."

Honey-brown eyes widened as Kaiba hesitated perceptibly.

"I _was _joking."

* * *

"Thanks for giving them back to me." 

Kaiba made an acknowledging sound in the back of his throat.

"They are important, you know. They were Serenity's and - ow!" Jounouchi complained, in the dark. "Something's digging into me. You know, maybe your car isn't the - "

"You imbecile," Kaiba interrupted. "Of course something's digging into you. Now shut up." He went back to biting Jounouchi's neck.

"...Oh." Joey said quietly, and then decided to put his mouth to better use by sticking his tongue down Kaiba's throat.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Picture Perfect**_

_I've decided to make this the last chapter._

**Chapter Six.**

It was about six thirty am when Jounouchi came to the conclusion that perhaps, just maybe, Kaiba was right about Serenity's bracelets. He winced, as he attempted to button his shirtwithout making it seem like he was trying to play Beethoven's appassionato sonata on a piece of jewellery. He wasn't succeeding particularly well.

After what seemed like an age of slow, gently tinkling movements, he looked around Kaiba's bedroom room for the jeans he'd been wearing yesterday. Finally, he found them under the huge, four-poster bed. He sat on the floor where he'd reached under to get them, and pulled them on, zipping them up as he stood.

Just as he reached the bedroom door, sneakers in one hand, he heard Kaiba shift. The CEO lifted his head, though he didn't turn to face Jounouchi. Jou froze, one hand on the doorknob.

"There's plenty in the kitchen if you want breakfast."

Jou stared, looking like he'd just heard Kaiba declare he was giving up his gaming empire to write shoujo. "…What?"

"Or you can go back to sneaking out, whatever." Kaiba pulled the sheets up around his neck and buried his face in the pillow.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Since you first got out of bed."

"Bastard."

Kaiba's prone form failed to rise to the bait.

"Why, good morning, Jou! Imagine seeing you here!" Mokuba grinned up from his seat at the kitchen table as the blonde entered the large penthouse kitchen. The unruly teen was wearing a pair of Superman boxers, and apparently doing homework as he ate.

Jou ignored the comment. "Are those Fruit Loops?"

Mokuba shrugged. "Yup." He shovelled another spoonful into his mouth.

"…Got any toast?"

"Bread's mouldy. No one's been shopping this week."

"Where are the bowls?"

"Cupboard behind and to the left of you."

Jounouchi moved to the cupboard that Mokuba, still smiling widely, had indicated. He took out one of the plain, white bowls, rummaged in the drawers until he found a spoon, then sat himself down at the other end of the small, white plastic-finish table.

Mokuba gave up the pretence of studying and pushed the cereal box across to him. "Sleep well?"

Jou gave him a scrutinising look. "Not really."

"Because you weren't sleeping, or because all wasn't well?"

Jou began to pour milk on top of the colourful bowl of sugar he was about to ingest, raising one his eyebrow at the younger boy. "I don't think I ought to discuss it with you."

"Pfft." Mokuba ran a hand through his messy hair. "If it's going to be on national news broadcasts, you can probably tell me beforehand."

Jounouchi stared into his bowl as the fruit loops soaked up the milk with a slight crackling sound. "Fine: your brother is messed up."

Mokuba scowled in response. "Come on, give be serious."

"Okay, okay…" Jou sighed. He poked at his cereal with the spoon. "I'm concerned because I have no idea what your brother wants from me, and I don't think he knows either. Last night was probably another big mistake."

"…But you know what you want?"

Jounouchi bit his lip, then scooped a heap of coloured loops up and followed Mokuba's earlier example by gulping down a mouthful of his breakfast. Mokuba waited patiently.

"I've known what I wanted since highschool, when I finally figured out why your fuckin' maniac sibling pissed me off so much."

Mokuba's dark blue eyes looked thoughtful. "Just give him a bit of time. Seto's not so good with his feelings, especially - anyway, Seto will probably be another half an hour before he has a shower." Mokuba changed tactics halfway through his statement, all too casually. "Plenty of time to enjoy my company."

Rather than questioning the change, Jou's relief showed through his eyes. "You're up early; it's not even seven yet."

"Didn't do my English. Don't suppose you ever studied Othello? This archaic language is doing my head in."

Jounouchi swallowed his mouthful. "Sounds about right - I guess the curriculum in school hasn't changed much, eh?"

"Okay, well, I don't get what Iago's saying here: 'The Moor – howbeit that I endure him not - /Is of a constant, loving, noble nature/And, I dare think, he'll prove to Desdemona/ A most dear husband. Now, I do love her too…'"

"Lemme see that." Jounouchi gestured for the book.

It was to Seto Kaiba's great surprise that he entered his kitchen almost a half hour later - clothed in a business suit, his hair still wet from the shower - to find Jounouchi standing and gesturing eloquently with a breakfast spoon, reading lines from Shakespeare to the rapt, barely-clothed younger Kaiba.

Seto stared.

"'…And out of her own goodness make the net/ That shall enmesh them all!' …This soliloquy shows again how Iago uses everyone's good and bad points against them, right? But it's made more confusing when he brings his own motivation into it, because no one's really sure what his motivation is…"

Mokuba nodded, and then finally registered his brother standing in the doorway behind Jounouchi's still somewhat animated figure. "Oh crap, is that the time? Thanks for your help, Jou, I gotta go get ready or I'm going to be late again."

"No probs."

"Morning, bro." Mokuba smiled as he passed his brother. Seto smiled briefly down at him, then went back to staring at Jou – who, in turn, was looking with some surprise at the lips which had briefly been graced with a small, upward curve.

The two watched each other with a measure of wariness a moment longer and as Mokuba walked out the door, the tension in the room seemed to rise exponentially.

"I thought you might have fled by now," Kaiba said eventually, his tone calm.

"And miss out on Fruit Loops? I mean, I always wondered how the other half lived, but now I don't see how I can go back to plain cornflakes!" Jou grinned. It was only slightly obvious he was nervous, shown in way the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

Kaiba, much to the other's increasing anxiety, did not seem to appreciate the humour. "…I hope you left some for me," he said, eventually.

"Don't tell me the way to start the successfully businessman's day is with a bowl of sugar and food colouring?"

"Bread's mouldy," Kaiba retorted.

"Ah yes, I heard that rumour too."

Kaiba moved to get a bowl out the cupboard, and Jounouchi stepped aside to let him pass. Jou stared at the floor for a moment, then as Kaiba walked across to the seat Mokuba had previously occupied, the blonde collected his own, now empty bowl and took it to the kitchen sink.

"Speaking of rumours…" Jounouchi started again, uncertainly. Why did Kaiba have to be so stoic all the time? He started to rinse out his bowl, speaking slightly over his shoulder, much as Kaiba had to him earlier from the bed. "What's your take on the rumour that CEO of DuelMonsters fame, Seto Kaiba, might be gay?"

Jounouchi was careful not to turn his head too far and actually look the other person in the conversation.

Kaiba sighed audibly from behind him. "It's a load of shit."

Jounouchi's shoulders stiffened. He paused, the water running over his hands.

"There's a distinct possibility that he's bisexual, however."

Jou switched off the tap. "I see."

"No, you don't really."

"Nope," Jou agreed, amiably.

"Would you turn around?" Kaiba sounded irritated. "I refuse to have this conversation with someone's back."

Jou complied, but couldn't resist on a retort for the rudely-phrased request. "And here I thought I was just giving you a nice view of my ass."

"You're a clown."

"Yep." Jou was still affable.

"An infuriating one."

"Yep."

"And when did you become a genius at Shakespeare, anyway?"

Jou's eyebrows flew up in surprise. "Hey, contrary to what you always claimed, I'm not a complete moron, Kaiba."

Seto calmly ate a mouthful of fruit loops.

"I might not be that great at math, but I was always pretty good at English."

"…Right."

Jou stared at him, serious for once. "You really don't know anything about me since highschool, do you?"

Kaiba put down his spoon. What? Like he had been supposed to covertly check up what his highschool rival had been doing with himself when not causing annoyance in Domino? "I know you like jumping into bed with men even when they've thrown you out that same morning."

"Jerkoff," Jou exhaled. "I can easily leave again."

Kaiba stared, obviously torn between his usual refusal to put up with threats, and the desire to restore some semblance of order to his life. He was still in a state of shock that it had been taken away from him so abruptly.

"It might interest you to know that my English is perfectly fine after going to an art school in the state of Maine for two years - before spending a couple of years in Los Angeles building up my portfolio."

Kaiba stared passively, refusing to let this information surprise him. "We've all been busy since school."

Jou threw his hands in the air. "Do you have ANY IDEA how difficult it is to make some kind of human contact with you?"

Kaiba ate another spoonful of cereal.

"It's like trying to talk to a freakin' mannequin half the time!"

"What about the other half?" Seto replied with irritatingly calm logic.

Jounouchi sighed with frustration. "The other half - it's all I can do to keep my hands off you."

"You don't know whether you want to punch me or fuck me." Kaiba's pale eyes gave nothing away.

"That's it; I'm leaving. Once I can blame you, twice and I've just been an idiot. Fucked if I'm making this mistake a third time, because then I'll just have to go and kill myself to save the rest of humanity from my stupidity."

"The feeling's mutual!" Kaiba finally raised his voice.

"Oh, well good, I'm glad we're clear on that," Jounouchi replied sarcastically, as he headed for the door. "Without of both of us the world might actually function normally."

Kaiba stood, his chair scraping across the floor roughly. "Not that feeling, you imbecile!"

Jounouchi turned, hands on hips. "What feeling, then?"

Kaiba's long legs crossed the room in a few strides. He stared down at the blonde, only slightly shorter than himself. Jounouchi's gold eyes were filled with the same passion they always were – anger and something more, open to interpretation.

"I mean," Kaiba snapped, impatiently, "That I don't know whether I want to punch you or just fuck you."

He closed the small space between his mouth and Jounouchi's, backing the blonde up against the doorframe - one hand tilting Jounouchi's face towards his own, the other grabbing the edge of Jou's shirt by his hips and bunching it in his fist, knuckles grazing the soft skin underneath.

Jounouchi met the kiss with fervour, his uncertainly only betrayed by the fact that his hands hung at his side, unmoving. His tongue met Kaiba's and he let out a small moan.

"Holy shit, guys!"

Kaiba broke away abruptly, his mouth slightly parted, breathing heavily.

"There are minors around here, you know!" Mokuba, now dressed in his school uniform (though he was wearing black jacket that was definitely not regulation) was grinning wildly.

"Mokuba - "

"So Seto, can I call Jou your boyfriend now?"

Startled, the two in the doorway looked at each other. Jounouchi grinned again, nervously. Seto bowed his head, clear gesture of defeat.

"It's beginning to seem that way," he said, dryly.

"Oh, good - now I know the answer is yes when the reporters ask!"

Seto's head snapped back up, a panicked look on his face.

"You little bastard imp!" Jou shouted, ducking past the CEO, who for once didn't know what to do.

"Gotta go, school time!" Mokuba ran for the door.


End file.
